Liverpool man left street homeless by city council A Liverpool man, who needed surgery, was left street homeless for six months during the COVID pandemic, despite asking the city council for help. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has reported how the man first became homeless in June 2020 and said he contacted Liverpool City Council for help in the same month. He said he made two fu ...

Ombudsman issues third critical report about Birmingham’s bin collections The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is again having to report on Birmingham’s waste collection services after the council had made assurances things would improve. The most recent report concerns three residents in different parts of the city, who had all been receiving assisted collections – where crews collect ...

Birmingham bin problems highlighted in Ombudsman report From repeated missed collections to failing to return vulnerable people’s bins to the proper place, Birmingham’s refuse service has been criticised in a report by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Collating the complaints of 17 city residents, the Ombudsman report details how refuse collectors repeatedly failed to collect waste ...

Salford woman left without proper support because council failed to reassess her A Salford woman with autism was left without proper support after the city council failed to review her care plan for more than five years, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The Ombudsman’s investigation also found Salford City Council has not carried out any autism awareness training for staf ...

Homeless Lincolnshire man left to sleep in car because of council failings A Lincolnshire man had to sleep in his car because South Kesteven District Council did not do enough to help him, when he told it he was homeless. The man, who has mental and physical health issues, applied to the council as homeless at the start of 2024. He told the council about his medical issues and said he was sleepin ...

Ombudsman investigation finds Brentwood gatekeeping homelessness applications A Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation has found Brentwood council has been gatekeeping access to its homelessness services when people approach it for help. Following an investigation into a complaint, the Ombudsman has raised concerns with the way the council assessed homeless applications, includi ...

Somerset mum had to pay for children’s therapy while she waited for council funding A Somerset mother was left more than £7,000 out of pocket while she waited for the council to release funds for her children’s much-needed therapy, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The mother, whose children’s extensive special educational needs mean they have Education, Health and Care (E ...

Are children’s voices being heard? Two Ombudsman reports highlight issues councils face dealing with statutory process Is the Children’s statutory complaints process working to support the very children it is designed to help? The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is calling for the statutory complaints process for cases involving children to be urgently reviewed, following the publicati ...

London council failed to review its support for disabled children Councils should respond to all recommendations made during independent complaints investigations, says the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman after it upheld a mother’s complaint about London Borough of Waltham Forest. The issue is being highlighted after the mother of a disabled child asked the Ombudsman to investigate the ...

Cheshire East wrongly started care proceedings process against mum who simply needed support A Cheshire East mum nearly had her children placed in care following the traumatic birth of her second child, after the council instigated care proceedings without proper evidence, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The mother had a traumatic birth experience during which her baby w ...